Jammu, May 4
Even though the government of India is pumping crores of rupees into Jammu and Kashmir to upgrade educational infrastructure, owing to callous attitude and inefficiency of state officials, many of the government schools in the winter capital of the state lack basic amenities; even toilets and pure drinking water facilities are conspicuous by their absence in many schools.

A government school teacher with a book in hand, is teaching a class outside the school building in the shade of a tree. The students, with their notebooks open, listening to her carefully while sitting on the ground; this was the picture in a Government Middle School at Dodhi Gujjar Colony bypass Road Channi on the outskirts of Jammu city.

The school principal claims they have sufficient staff and basic amenities to run the school of 70 students, but the actual picture narrated a different story.

Students were sitting in the verandah with their books open, with some of them playing in the ground and some having their mid-day meal.

Students have been drinking water from a dirty tank, which doesn’t seem to have been cleaned for the last one year. There are four toilets in the school, of which, three were found locked and one was in a shabby condition.

Ajay Kumar, a Class VII student, said, “We have been drinking water from the same tank for the last many years. There are four toilets in the school; three are closed; one is too dirty and its door is broken.”

“We get mid-day meal here that is quite good. The teachers are good, even the new teachers (B Ed student) are teaching much better than our old teachers,” he added.

The school principal Neelam Rani said, “We have all the facilities in the school. State Bank of India has donated a water purifier to the school. We will install it soon, and the toilet facilities are also available in the school.”

The school has a total of seven staff members including the principal and Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers, but they all sit in the office as their work is being done by the B Ed students, who have been interning in the school for the last 15 days. The school building has only five classrooms and two classes are being accommodated in one room or teachers take the class in the ground.

Director School Education Gulzar Qureshi said, “As I assumed the additional charge of the department a few days back, I am not aware of the school being in such a condition. I will check the actual status and fulfil the requirements.”

Jammu, May 4
The J&K State Sports Council is planning to draft new qualifications for recruitment of coaches soon, with adequate promotional avenues. Sources in the sports council said a system will also be devised to make employees of the department accountable.

“A proposal has been mentioned in the recently proposed draft of the sports policy wherein targets will be fixed for every sports officer and coach and their performance will be evaluated accordingly,” sources claimed.

Though weekly diaries have been prepared by all the coaches on a routine basis, after proper implementation of the sports policy draft, the formats of Annual Confidential Reports will be modified to reflect their (coaches’) performance on the basis of targets.

“Necessary steps will be taken to upgrade the knowledge and skills of coaches to enable them to do their job in a more efficient manner. Not only that, seminars will be conducted wherein umpires and referees from across the country would participate and share their expertise with fellow coaches and instructors,” added sources.

“The recently held National Rhythmic Gymnastics Judging Course at University of Jammu (JU) wherein there were participants from across the country has helped a great deal in knowing not only the basics of the game but also they were apprised about the latest developments,” a sports council official said.

Meanwhile, as per the proposed sports policy draft, it is mandatory for every sports officer and coach to undergo a compulsory training programme at a national level sports institution once in five years.

Further, necessary amendments in the service rules will be made. There is also a proposal to hire coaches on contract basis to impart quality coaching to the trainees with clearly defined deliverables.

The Tribune had reported that the sports policy draft had mentioned that every year, three best coaches whether working in government or in private sector in the state would be honoured and rewarded for the exemplary service rendered for excellence in sports in the state under Parshu Ram Award.

One outstanding referee will also be honoured every year and rewarded for excellence in sports in the state under Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award and the details of the awards would be notified by the sports council. Further, the department will organise clinics and workshops for referees on a periodical basis. The draft further claimed that those who do not perform well should be taken off the list and new ones be added.

Jammu, May 4
As a majority of the pumping stations belonging to Public Health Engineering (PHE) department are without any power back-up, the drinking water supply during summer months in Jammu region is at the mercy of Power Development Department (PDD).

The period April-August brings unwanted woes relating to water shortage. Much of the infrastructure remain shut for hours together in every district due to long duration and frequent power-cuts. In the city, tubewells and lifting station at Sittle and Boria filtration plant are worst affected.

Though the department has announced establishment of a 24x7 control room to allow people to lodge their complaints, the major issue is keeping running infrastructure which supplies water to a population of nearly 52 lakh in the region.

As per data, the department is presently providing nearly 42 MGL of water per day to a population of over 13 lakh in Jammu city.

The net requirement of potable water for this population is 45 MGL of water per day. So, 3 MGL of water shortage is still there.

“So far, there is no problem, but when electricity cuts start, filtration plants and motors don’t work fully and we are not able to lift water. Most of the localities are at a higher elevation, so we are dependent on electricity for supply,” said Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering (PHE), KK Gupta.

Gupta said the issue has been taken up with officials of Power Development Department (PDD) and they have assured that the supply mechanism will be streamlined.

There are about 205 tubewells used to lift groundwater and the entire fleet is dependent on electricity.

But during the summer months, on an average, two-thirds of them remain out of order due to mechanical fault and get affected due to power curtailment.

Low voltage is yet another problem. This aggravates the problem during hot summer days.

Jammu, May 4
There was panic among people in Gadigarh locality as fire engulfed bushes during the morning hours. A fire tender was dispatched to the area, which doused the fire.

Reports said that during the morning hours, locals noticed smoke billowing from an open area and within minutes, fire raged from the bushes. Panicked residents called the fire control room, which dispatched tenders towards the area to control the fire. After efforts for more that 15 minutes, the fire was controlled, and people heaved a sigh of relief.

“It happened very fast. Before we could stop its spread, it engulfed dry bushes close to a residential area. It could easily have reached the nearby locality if fire tenders had not reached on time,” said Jagtar Singh, a local resident.

Fires during the summer months are common in Jammu region due to intense heat and there are emergency calls to the forest and fire departments. Sub-Inspector (SI) Gadigarh police post, Prahlad Singh, said there was no loss of property. “It engulfed an open field and the fire was controlled. There is no need to panic. People should report any such incident immediately,” he stated. — TNS

Batote, May 4
In perpetuation of its efforts to improve the quality of life of the village students, the Army donated two computers along with tables, 34 desks, the jute mats and the sports goods to the Government Primary School, Mainal Dharmund under the aegis of Headquarters Delta Force here today.

Ramban MLA Ashok Kumar thanked the Field Army Hospital of CIU (Delta) for making “the best model government Primary School” in Ramban district. He also expressed his gratitude on behalf of the residents of the area, to the Army and sanctioned Rs 2 lakh for the construction of an additional classroom, Rs 1 lakh for the leveling of the ground besides assuring its upgradation.

The ZEO, Batote, VK Gupta said because of such facilities provided by the Army not only increased the enrolment, the standard of education but also the quality of life in the school. Sarpanch, Jagan Nath lauded the Army’s role in caring for the health of the children and elders of the area. — OC

Jammu, May 4
iYogi, a remote tech support brand, conducted a recruitment drive under the Chief Minister's Udaan Initiative for J&K Youth at Government College for Women, Parade Ground, on Friday and Saturday. Over 400 youth attended the two-day event for a career in technology. The company gave offer letters for training to about 70 young job seekers.

iYogi deploys more than 5,000 technical and sales experts across eight delivery centres, serving more than 2.5 million customers across 10 countries. The company is actively looking for fresh graduates from Jammu and Kashmir.

Vishal Dhar, co-founder and president of Marketing, said “iYogi’s attempt has been to identify cities from where we can recruit top talent to fuel the next generation of our growth. Jammu and Kashmir has vast population of talented individuals, who are awaiting the right opportunity. We have created a training platform that caters to the emerging needs for tech support driven by the latest technologies by customers from around the world.”

iYogi recruitment team will be conducting continuous recruitment drives across the state in the coming months.

Jammu, May 4
Different Sikh organisations of Jammu have expressed serious concern over the acquittal of senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 Anti-Sikhs riot case and have described it as a blot on the face of secularism, justice and democracy.

Consequent upon the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar, Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Shiromani Akali Dal and Sikh United Council expressed strong resentment.

Sikh leader alleged that the verdict had shaken the faith of minorities in the country’s justice system, as those who had killed Sikhs in 1984 were being acquitted, while others like Prof Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar had been convicted, in spite of the fact that there is no witness against him.

The Sikh leaders stated that the Sikhs were of the opinion that in pseudo democratic and pseudo secular India, justice would remain allusive for the minorities, particularly the Sikhs, for the times to come. “He, along with other Congress stalwarts, meticulously directed the killers for the genocidal acts unheard of in the civilised world, which in fact is nothing but a fraud coined to mislead the world,” said the Sikh leaders.

Jammu, May 4
Activists of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Front (JKDF) today held a protest at Rehari Chowk against the Chinese incursion in Ladakh region. The demonstration was led by the JKDF State Women Cell President Veenu Khanna. The activists raised anti-China slogans and flayed the soft approach of the Central Government to defend the country’s frontiers.

Party President Anil Gupta expressed serious concerns about the adamant attitude of the Chinese Army to maintain status quo on the LAC. Terming the Chinese intrusion in Ladakh as a very serious development, Gupta stressed upon efforts to get the occupied areas vacated and undertaking strong measures to protect the frontiers of the country. Khanna said, “It is unfortunate that the Central Government at New Delhi did not take the developments seriously. The whole approach should be reviewed and no stone should remain unturned to get the occupied areas vacated.”Meanwhile, students of different schools in Jammu held a protest march against the Chinese incursion in Ladakh and against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

The students of various schools, along with their teachers and some prominent citizens, joined the protest march with banners in hand, protesting against China and urging the government and the Army to take some strong steps.

Jammu, May 4
Government High School (GHS), Old Satwari and GHS Gole Gujral defeated their respective opponents in the semifinal of under-14 carrom event in girls section today in the ongoing Inter-School Tournament at MA Stadium here.

In the first semifinal, GHS Old Satwari defeated MHAC Nagbani while GHS Gole Gujral edged out SOS School.

Meanwhile, KC Public School got the better of Army Public School (APS) Domana by 3-0 sets in table tennis semifinal. In the second semifinal, Model Academy entered finals of the same event in under-14 group.

Earlier, in the semifinals, Bhavana of KC outplayed Diksha of APS Domana by 11-3, 11-4 and Manvika beat Mansi by 11-2, 11-4. Manvi and Manvika of KC Public emerged victorious against their opponents APS Domana by 11-7, 11-6.

In under-17 girls group, Carmel Convent School, Kunjwani defeated Model Academy by 3-1 in the first semifinal while in another semifinal, KC Public School crushed Army Public School, Nagrota by 3-0 sets. In another league match, Army School, Nagrota defeated KC Gurukul by 3-2 sets.

The matches were officiated by Harcharan Singh, physical education lecturer, zonal physical education officers Sarita Pandha, Hira Lal and Sher Singh, besides Tarsem Singh, Harcharan Singh, Vijay Kumar, Sanjay Khajuria, Vikram Jamwal and others.

Later, at a function held at District Youth Services and Sports Office, Gandhi Nagar, the Director General, Youth Services and Sports, Naveen Agarwal distributed the medals to the winners of under-14 and under-17 events of Badminton, Table tennis, Chess and Carrom.

Speaking on the occasion, Agarwal asked the players to work harder to achieve heights. He honoured 45 medalists, including 20 gold and 25 silver.

Welcome address was delivered by Tirath Ram, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Jammu while Ved Parkash, Deputy Director, Youth Services and Sports presented the vote of thanks.

Jammu, May 4
Government High School (GHS), Laiter, got the better of GHS, Pouni, by six points in the final to clinch the under-14 kabaddi title in the ongoing Inter-School Tournament of Pouni Zone, being held at Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Pouni.

Earlier, in the first semifinal, High School (HS), Pouni, beat HS Saloon by 6 points while HS Laiter had the last laugh against Middle School (MS), Kanha, by 14 points.

In under-17 kabaddi final, HS Nagar overcame the challenge of HSS Bharkh by 8 points. In the first semifinal, HS Nagar defeated HS Dadoa by 7 points. In the second semifinal, Higher Secondary School (HSS), Bharakh, trounced HS Laiter by 14 points.

In under-14 kho kho final, HS Laiter toppled MS Bharakh by 2 points. In the first semifinal, GHS, Pouni, drubbed HS Laiter by 3 points. MS Kanha lost to MS Bharakh by 3 points in the second semifinal.

In under-17 kho kho final, GHS, Pouni, lost to HSS Bharakh by 4 points. Earlier, in the first semifinal played, GHS Pouni beat HS Nagar by 2 points while in the second semifinal, HSS Bharkh beat HS Laiter by 3 points.

In all, 112 girl students drawn from various schools of Pouni Zone are participating in the sporting event, being conducted under the supervision of Principal, HSS Pouni, who is also the chairperson of the tournament.

Earlier, Dr Swarn Singh Chib, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Reasi, also visited the venue and took stock of the arrangements made by the organising committee.

Jammu, May 4
Hosts Naveen Shiksha Kendra School, Bari-Brahmana, won maximum medals in Jump Rope Inter-School Championship 2013, organised by the Jump Rope Association, J&K.

Netaji Academy, Vijaypur and Parveen Model School, Supwal, had to settle for the second and the third slot respectively. About 150 students, drawn from different schools, participated in the sporting event in different categories, which was inaugurated by chief guest, Principal (Retd) BS Slathia.

Speaking on the occasion, he highlighted the importance of games and sports, besides delivering a lecture on moral education. Later, the medals were distributed among the winners by Sukh Dev Singh Charak, Zonal Sports Officer and Arun Jamwal, SHO Bari.

Jammu, May 4
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, Rajesh Kumar, declared close the 3rd Police Martyr’s Memorial State-Level Volleyball Tournament organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Police under the Civic Action Programme at Udhampur.

It was inaugurated by the DIG, Udhampur-Reasi Range, Garib Dass, on April 30. The IGP, while speaking on the occasion, thanked the citizens, participants and families of the police martyrs for their participation in the security and integrity of the nation.

The IGP assured the families of the police martyrs all kinds of support and assistance. He asked them to come forward with any kind of grievances and ensured every effort would be made to solve their problems.

Udhampur MLA Balwant Mankotia also paid tributes to the police martyrs for the sacrifices made by them while serving the nation.

Udhampur SSP Benam Tosh supervised the whole tournament for the last three days .Ten teams from all over the state, including the Jammu and Kashmir regions and the Central Police Volleyball Team, participated in the tournament.